The Relic of a Forgotten Past
by lkcrm94
Summary: (Formally known as 'A Discovery') Something is discovered hidden deep in Mossflower Woods…
1. I

**Author's note: Hello again. I'm back with another Redwall fanfic. Sorry for the lame title. I really couldn't think of anything better.**

**I started writing this back in August 2011 while I was on holiday in Scotland, but progress was really slow and on-off. When I was about halfway through writing this fanfic, my computer got a virus and everything had to be wiped…and I didn't have another copy of my work :-( I've had to rewrite this whole thing from memory. Moral of the story: remember to keep copies of important things! But then I realised the story made no sense in its original form, so I completely rewrote the whole thing again. Perhaps the virus put me on the right track?**

**The inspiration behind this fanfic was _Quatermass and the Pit_…and yeah, you might have an idea of what's going to happen with inspiration like that, and I doubt the back-story I'm presenting in this fanfic is going to be the most popular one…in fact, I doubt this fanfic in general is going to be the most popular one either. How to explain this without (hopefully) giving away plot spoilers…you see, there's a certain question + topic related to Redwall that many of the readers of the books (and viewers of the TV show!) will say "absolutely no way" to. It's _this_ topic that I'm dabbling with in this fanfic. It's funny though because I'm one of those fans who generally doesn't like the idea, but I've read a couple of other Redwall fanfics that bring this topic up, and some of them are quite interesting, but they generally seem to get mixed reviews :-/ Oh well, here's for the best…**

**Like with my previous Redwall fanfic, it's not official canon (obviously!) though it features canon Redwall characters. However, this fanfic has no connection with my previous one.**

* * *

Never before had Mossflower endured such a chilling winter. The torrential snow rained continuously down from the dark grey sky, covering everything it touched in a thick layer of snow almost instantly. Icicles hung from the tree branches like daggers, growing longer with each passing minute. An icy mist hung in the air, making the trees loom over like ghostly shadows of monstrous creatures. A cruel, strong wind was blowing, making the falling snow swirl and dart through the frozen air. It would be foolish to think anybeast would be wandering around in these bitter conditions, but somebeast was…two, to be precise.

Two mice trudged and stumbled through the snowstorm, hunched forward and their eyes half-open to avoid their sight to be blinded by the intense snow. Every step for them was a tremendous effort in the cold heavy environment, making their progress slow. One of the mice was a strong warrior, as was evident by the sword at his side, but the heavy snow had taken its toll on him, raining intensely down on him as if he were a delicate feather in a storm. The other mouse was also a warrior with a sword, though he was not as strong or experienced a warrior as his companion. He was a few seasons younger and was walking with a limp, the result of a wound he had suffered on their journey courtesy of some thin ice.

Frightening rumours had been circulating amongst the mice at Saint Ninian's that a vermin horde was advancing from the north. To see if these rumours were true, the leader of the tribe proposed to venture through Mossflower to search for any vermin hordes, and selected another of his tribe to accompany him, as he believed a smaller group would be harder for vermin to detect. They had searched through Mossflower for any signs of vermin, but they encountered none, though they both agreed that it was better safe than sorry and the rest of the tribe would think so too. But then the snow came. It had been frosty for several weeks, so snow was naturally expected to arrive, but not so suddenly.

The two mice were heading back to Saint Ninian's, but the snow and fog were making it impossible to know where they were going through Mossflower, and they could swear that they were walking around in circles. Nevertheless, the two mice went on.

A sudden gust of wind caught the two mice and made them stop in their tracks. They leaned forward and braced themselves, fighting against the weather. If they both fell, there would be no hope for either of them. The younger mouse took a step back and lost his balance. His companion turned around to see him fall back over into the deep snow.

"It's no use, Martin," groaned the fallen mouse, straining to be heard over the wind. "My leg is hurting and I can barely walk. I'm slowing our progress. Just leave me here and save yourself. You're more important than me."

The standing warrior shook his head. "I've got no intention of leaving you to die, Liam," Martin said as he grabbed his companion by the arms and hoisted him up. "We're both going to get back to Saint Ninian's, I promise." They walked on through the snow, Martin supporting his exhausted companion with an arm around his shoulder. Martin also took Liam's sword and held it in his opposite paw.

"I'm so tired…" Liam said hoarsely, almost whispering.

"Don't go to sleep now," Martin said in response. He didn't stop walking to speak, and there was a sense of urgency in his voice. "If you go to sleep now, it's unlikely you'll wake up again." He began to speak more softly. "Think of a loved one, and promise them you'll make it back safely," he said boldly.

"Alright," Liam said. There was a moment of silence between the two, with only the wind billowing at them. Martin and Liam closed their eyes as if in deep thought or concentration, blotting out the merciless weather that was attacking them both.

Liam then spoke aloud. "…Teyna…I'll make it back," he said determinedly. "I won't die today…I promise."

Martin's eyes opened, both of them filled with some of the strongest willpower he had ever felt. He glared through the snow and mist, determined to conquer it.

"Ready?" asked Martin.

Liam nodded. "Let's go."

The two mice walked on, Martin supporting Liam. Their pace had now quickened slightly, though the weather was still battling against them. Despite the encouragement, both mice knew that they would not make it back to Saint Ninian's any time soon and they would have to find shelter before the sun went down…if it was still up in the sky, of course. The thick grey clouds and falling snow made it hard to tell, and the wind billowing the snow around made it almost impossible to see straight ahead, forcing the mice to walk with their heads down.

"We've got to find shelter…"

Martin looked up and squinted his eyes. They were walking not too far away from the base of a rocky cliff face that towered over them. With all the snow and mist, it looked as if the cliff face went on forever. While the ghostly trees surrounded them, there was a distance between the trees and the cliff face. At first, Martin thought that the cliff face may have been a waterfall that was completely frozen up, but there were no sheets of ice frozen in time to the rocks. Martin sighed. Had it been a waterfall and river, they would have at least had something to go on in establishing where they were, or if there were any tribes nearby.

Through the snow and mist, a small opening could be seen in the rock. Martin's eyes focused on it. It appeared to be the entrance of a cave. The opening wasn't too narrow or too wide, so they could at least get in. To his relief, the cave seemed to go a distance back into the rock from where he stood, so it would make a good place to shelter.

"Look!" Martin exclaimed. He pointed to the opening. "There's a cave over there. We can rest and try to get warm."

"Oh…thank goodness…" Liam said exhaustedly. He coughed. "I'm…I'm not giving up, if you think that's what I meant by that, Martin…"

"Don't worry," said Martin. "I believe you, and I'd never put a friend down."

They trudged over to the cave and entered. Instantly, the heavy feeling of the snow falling onto them and the wind blowing at them lifted off their shoulders as they walked into the cave and its roof covered their heads. The cave itself was about the size of a large room, with its width increasing slightly the further back the cave stretched, which wasn't too far back for the back of the cave was visible. The roof of the cave was quite low down – the two mice were able to stand up straight, but if they were badgers, they would have had to duck down as to avoid hitting their heads – and it appeared to get lower towards the back of the cave. There was a thin layer of sand-like gravel and dust that covered the floor.

Martin and Liam raised their heads, free from the weather, but not from the cold. Still, some shelter was better than none. Martin was still holding onto Liam, and he felt his companion begin to collapse. Martin carefully placed Liam down, sitting him against the right wall of the cave, a distance from the entrance. He also placed his and Liam's swords against the wall too.

"I'm so cold," Liam said weakly. He was shivering all over.

"Just hang on," Martin replied. "We'll make it back to Saint Ninian's in one piece."

Martin stepped away from Liam and looked out the cave. The storm appeared to intensify outside. Martin felt a wave of relief inside – had they remained outside any longer, they would have certainly perished from the cold. He himself was shivering, but Liam was in a worse state. Liam was now slowly dusting the snow off his fur and clothes. Every movement was uncomfortable for him. Martin moved around the cave, thinking of what to do.

As Martin looked at the floor of the cave, he noticed some old twigs and sticks lying scattered across that must have been there before winter had arrived. Martin couldn't believe their luck. He knelt down and picked up a few small bundles of twigs and sticks and placed them together on a space of the floor next to Liam.

"Martin?" came Liam's voice.

"Yes?"

"I…I want to thank you."

"What for?" Martin asked.

"For giving me the strength to carry on back there," Liam responded. "I was ready to give up…but then you told me to think of my wife…I'll do anything to return to her." Liam leaned forward and began adjusting the bandage that covered the wound on his leg. "Were _you_ thinking of your wife as well?"

"Yes," replied Martin as he bundled the sticks together, "And my son. Luke's not even a season old, and I don't want him to live his entire life without a father. I couldn't let him or Vina lose me in such a way."

Martin stood up again and surveyed the cave. As one would expect in a cave, there were many stones scattered across the floor near the walls. Martin reached for two and held them over the twigs. He clinked the two stones together to create a spark, and a small fire began to rise from the twigs. As the warmth spread its way out from the flames, Liam shuffled closer to the fire.

"Do you think Luke will make a good warrior?" Liam enquired.

Martin sat down against the wall. "Of course," he replied. There was a pause. "…I hope." Martin turned to face Liam as if he were confiding something very personal. "I want him to follow in my footsteps and become a warrior…a great warrior. I want Luke to raise his sons up as warriors, and his sons to raise their sons too, and so on. I hope that among them will be the greatest warrior that ever lived, who will be immortalised for the rest of time." Martin looked back at the fire. "Well…what about you? Where do you see yourself after you've passed to the Dark Forest?"

"I don't know," said Liam. "I'd like to be remembered for something, but not everybeast is remembered for their achievements. Names get forgotten or muddled up over time, and I may become a forgotten warrior of the past." Liam stared at the fire, watching the flame dance and flicker. "My leg isn't hurting as much now. It's a pity there's nothing to eat," he sighed after a moment.

"At least we've got water though – plenty of it." Martin pointed outside to the snow.

"Martin?" Liam looked out at the snow, but continued to speak to his companion. "How long do you think it will be before we get back?"

"I'm not sure," Martin replied. "It would be easier to tell if the storm died down. If we set off now, it could take days to find somewhere or something to get bearings and make our way back to Saint Ninian's."

"But we _will_ get back," Liam added.

"Of course," said Martin. He sighed and stood up. "Keep yourself warm while I look for more firewood. It won't last the entire night."

Liam nodded in response. Martin headed to the back of the cave, his eyes scanning the floor for more sticks.

As Martin made his way towards the back of the cave, he noticed something odd: it seemed to feel warmer the further into the cave he walked. Martin frowned and took a step back. As he did, he felt colder again. It was too much of a difference to be just stepping away from the weather.

It was then when Martin noticed a large hole at the bottom of the back wall. Curious, he knelt down to look closer. The hole was quite small, but big enough for a mouse to crawl through. Martin waved a paw at the hole to see if there was any difference in temperature.

There was. Every time Martin's paw went near the hole, he could feel the heat even more. There was no doubt about it; there was something on the other side of the hole.

Martin turned his head. "Liam!" he called. "Come here a moment."

Liam got to his feet and limped steadily over to Martin, who was now on all fours and peering straight into the hole. "What is it, Martin?"

"Can't you tell?" asked Martin, not taking his eyes away from the blackness that lay through the hole. "It's warmer over here."

"Now that you mention it, it does feel warmer," said Liam. "Are you sure it isn't just because we're further out of the snow?"

"No. Place a paw over this hole." Martin pointed at the hole. Liam carefully lowered himself down and held a paw out. His mouth opened in a silent gasp.

"Strange…it's like there's a fire burning through there." Liam took his paw away quickly from the hole. "How is that possible? Does somebeast live in this cave?"

"I don't know…" Martin poked his head into the crawlspace. "…But I'm going to find out."

"What? Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked a stunned Liam. He watched as Martin stood back up and headed over to get his sword. "There could be anything in there, and it's not safe or you could get lost."

"I just want to make sure," said Martin. He went back to the hole and placed his sword on the floor. "It could be the entrance of some underground cave or mine. If it's somebeast who lives in this cave, I'll tell them we mean no harm. If it's vermin…" Martin shook his head and crouched down.

"But -" Liam began.

"Wait here."

Martin crawled into the hole. Liam watched as Martin vanished under the rocky wall, but he could still hear the sound of Martin shuffling across the ground. Martin's paw briefly appeared for a second to retrieve his sword, before vanishing again. The shuffling sound gradually faded.

Liam stood outside the hole for a moment, and slowly hobbled his way back to the fire.

"I've got no intention of leaving," retorted Liam eventually. He was sure Martin hadn't heard. Liam turned his attention to the snow outside. The storm was still torrential, with the snow billowing around, and the wind made ghostly whistling noises as it passed the cave entrance. How long would it take for the storm to vanish?

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**A/N: This fanfic was meant to be a single document, but because it is so large, I've had to split it into chapters. Sorry if the chapters end or begin abruptly.**


	2. II

After what seemed like hours, the familiar shuffling sound returned, and Liam turned to see Martin crawling out from the hole and standing up. But something was different this time; Martin's sword was gone, and he had a look on his face that said he had seen something he wished he hadn't.

"What's through there?" asked Liam.

Martin opened his mouth, but no words came out of it. He stared at Liam as if wanting Liam to speak for him, even though Liam didn't know.

"Martin? Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

After a moment, he finally spoke. "I…think you had better see this too." Martin's voice was eerily nervous. "…And you should bring your sword."

"What is it though?" Liam asked again. But his words seemed to not reach Martin's ears, for Martin turned back around and crawled back through the hole. Liam hobbled over to the back of the cave with his sword as fast as he could, and carefully lowered himself down. Crawling was a painful experience, as his injured leg was pressing against the cold, hard floor. His sword scraped against the sides of the hole.

"How far does this go?"

"You're almost there," Martin called. "It opens up, so you'll be able to stand again."

Liam reached the other end of the hole, and Martin pulled him out and helped him up. The first thing Liam noticed was that he could see. Surely if they were moving deeper into a cave, the light should be dimming?

"Where is the light coming from?" Liam asked.

"I don't know," said Martin. "It's as if the stones around us are glowing…but that would be impossible."

The two mice were standing in a narrow tunnel that seemingly stretched on for infinity. The end of the tunnel was not visible, and water dripped from points on the ceiling, though no stalactites were in sight. The tunnel also slanted down on an angle, heading deep down into the ground.

"Where does this lead?" Liam enquired.

Once again, Martin didn't seem to hear. He stepped forward and beckoned Liam to follow. "Stay close and be careful. It's easy to lose your balance."

The two mice began to make their way down the narrow tunnel. The end of the tunnel never materialised as the two mice travelled deeper into the abyss, but the heat began to rise slowly.

"Martin, you still haven't told me what is down here," Liam pressed. "What is it you're leading me to?"

Martin thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. It's nothing I've ever seen before in all my life. The only way I can describe it is…perhaps something that resembles a cage without bars?" Martin shook his head.

"A what? This leads to a structure?" Liam looked behind him. The hole they had crawled through was out of sight. "I suppose that means there isn't anybeast there then."

"No, but you should have an idea of what it is," said Martin. "It could come as a shock."

After awhile of walking through the narrow tunnel, they eventually arrived in a large underground cavern. Like with the tunnel, there was light despite the scenery, and the heat was very strong, making the air uncomfortable to breath. Propped up against the wall was Martin's sword. And in the centre of the cavern, there _it_ was.

The mice were standing in front of a huge metallic structure that loomed over them. The structure was shaped like a dome and was made of a metal they did not recognise. However, time had taken its toll on this structure, as its metallic surface, once shining new, was rusted and dull. However, aside from that, it looked intact and nowhere near the stage of collapse and ruin.

Liam was staring at the dome, seemingly hypnotised by its presence. "I…I've never seen…" Liam blurted out.

"I know," said Martin, placing a paw on Liam's shoulder. "It had that effect on me too. It draws you in. I've got an uneasy feeling about it, but…I don't know," was all he could say.

Liam stepped forward, moving closer to the dome. "I see what you mean; a cage without bars…" He outstretched a paw and moved forward still, attempting to touch the metallic structure. He was acting like he was spellbound, and his limp appeared to vanish.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Martin called.

Martin's voice broke Liam's trance and Liam shook his head in a daze. "What is it?"

"That…thing…That's where the heat is coming from," Martin explained. "You could burn yourself if you touch it."

Liam stepped back in response, his limp having returned. "What do you suppose it is? Do you think this could be the remains of a vermin weapon or attack?"

"It couldn't be," said Martin. "Whatever it is, it's something beyond not only the capabilities of vermin, but beyond anything I've ever seen or heard of being built. Besides, look at the floor."

The floor of the cavern was covered in the thin layer of sand-like earth. "If any vermin had been down here recently," Martin continued, "there would be pawprints on the floor, but there aren't any, and there's nothing to cover any up. We're the first beasts to come down here since this was built."

"If that's the case," said Liam, "this thing could have been in here undiscovered for hundreds of seasons, maybe thousands. Just think, this may have been down here before Mossflower Woods even existed," he said in wonder. Liam turned to face Martin. "Speaking of time, how long were you down here for? It felt like hours."

"I don't know," replied Martin, "but it was long enough to find out there is more to this thing."

Liam sensed a dark tone in Martin's voice. "What…do you mean?"

Martin pointed at the side of the dome. Liam approached cautiously and peered at the part of the dome Martin was pointing at. On the side of the dome, there was the vertical shape of a rectangle with its corners rounded off. At first, Liam thought it was a carving for decoration, but then he noticed the latch in the middle of the rectangle and the hinges on the left-hand side.

"That's a _door_?" Liam asked, stunned.

Martin nodded grimly. "That's when I came back up to find you."

"You…you want _me_ to open it?" asked Liam nervously.

"No," said Martin, "but I might need some help."

"_You're_ going to open it?" Liam asked. "But Martin…we don't have any idea what could be inside that thing!" he protested.

"I know," said Martin, "but I must…Somehow, I don't feel safe until I investigate. It's an achievement of sorts to step into the unknown, isn't it?"

Martin picked up his sword and moved towards the dome, careful not to touch it. He could feel the heat radiating off it as he stopped at the door. Liam hesitated, and slowly joined Martin.

"How do you plan to open it?" Liam enquired.

"I'm going to try and pry it open with my sword. That's all I can think of doing," said Martin. He held his sword out and jabbed the tip into the right-hand side of the door, letting it wedge into the minute gap between the door and the outside of the dome. Martin felt the sword catch, and nodded. He then pushed down on the sword, being careful not to brush his paws against the surface of the dome. Martin felt the heat slowly rising up the sword and to his paws.

"Do you need any help?" asked Liam.

"No…I think…I've got it…" Martin said, straining.

Martin gave a firm push, and the door suddenly jolted open partway. Martin pulled his sword away and gazed in wonder at it – the blade was completely mangled and twisted out of shape from the heat.

"In all my experience of wielding swords, I've never seen anything like _this_ happen," he commented, stunned.

"It looks like it's _melted_," said Liam. "If that is what this thing can do to a sword…" He shuddered. "Y-you can use my sword if you want."

"No, it's fine," said Martin. He held a paw over the open space on the side of the dome. He could feel what felt like a cool breeze emitting from within the dome. Martin moved his paw to the side the opening, and once again felt heat.

"Strange…" Martin frowned.

Curious, Liam stretched a paw out too. "It feels cooler here," he said.

"I suppose that means it's safe to step inside?"

"Martin…" Liam held out his sword to Martin. "Take it. We may need to use it, and you're more skilled a swordsmouse than I am. Besides, my leg is injured, and that's not a good thing for any sword-bearer to have."

Without saying a word, Martin took the sword from Liam's paws and stepped cautiously into the dome. Liam followed.

They were now standing in what appeared to be a tiny room with no furnishings. It definitely felt cooler than it did out in the cavern, and there was no light inside the room, so it was difficult to see inside this room with the only light coming from the cavern. From what they could see, the walls and ceiling of this room were made out of metal, but unlike the outside, these were spotless and gleaming, and Martin and Liam could see their reflections. The floor was blue and made out of a smooth material they didn't recognise. At the opposite end of the room was a metallic door, blocking their progress, and in a chilling twist, cracks of light were visible creeping around it.

Martin approached the door and gazed at it. There didn't seem to be any way to open it. He banged a fist against the door. A dull 'thunk' rang out. Martin didn't want to risk melting Liam's sword, and continued to bang on the door.

While Martin was attempting to break the door down, Liam noticed something on the wall beside him. It looked like a button, coloured red and the size of a paw. Strangely, it was actually built into the wall, not just hanging from it like a decoration, and it appeared that one could press it into the wall. Curiosity taking over him, Liam reached out and pressed it. Had Martin noticed, he would have told Liam not to touch it in case it was a trap.

Immediately, the door swung open, and Martin and Liam were forced to shield their eyes from the intense light that burst through and greeted them. Martin held the sword up in defence, even though his eyes were covered.

"How is it so bright?" Liam yelled. "It's as if the sun is trapped in here!"

After a moment, the two mice slowly lowered their arms away from their eyes as the sting of the light died down. Both mice cautiously stepped through the door, staring in awe at the source of the light. The light was shining out of the ceiling of the room they had entered, and was an unnatural white. But the brightness was only the start of the mystery.

The room they were now in was large, and like the tiny room they had been in a brief moment ago, the floor was made of the blue material, but the walls were now made of a different kind of metal – one that didn't reflect as much – and the ceiling was dome-shaped. But what confused the mice was the abundance of strange objects that were spread across the room. Strange desks, made of metal and covered in buttons and small flashing lights, stood along the sides of the walls. Pipes cluttered the ceiling and walls, tying each other in knots. One wall of the room was dominated by what resembled a large cluster of windows, or glass panels at least, a couple of which showed writing and pictures. These panels were all of different sizes, with the biggest, which was taller than the mice, in the middle. Another wall was dedicated to a shelf stacked with boxes made out of a smooth material that reflected the light from the ceiling. In the centre of the room were some seats covered in red cloth arranged in a circle. On the opposite end of the room were two metallic doors, one on the left, and the other on the right. There was also a third door in the corner.

The two mice looked down. Lying on the floor in front of them was a mound that didn't resemble anything at first glance. However, as Martin and Liam approached, they soon realised what it was.

They had found a skeletal body. As with the outside of the dome, this body had been left undiscovered and undisturbed for many a season. Over this time, the body had been reduced to a skeleton with tattered, worn-out clothing which consisted of a strange maroon-coloured garment that covered the entire body, with the exception of the head and paws…but what strange head and paws they were. Even without flesh covering this body, it was clear that this was no beast they had ever seen before. The skull was almost round with an almost-flat face, unlike any other shaped head they had seen. They could see that, had this creature been alive, it would have been taller than a mouse if standing, but not by much, as it was certainly below the height of an otter. Whatever creature this body had belonged to, it was something that Martin and Liam had never encountered, and they were sure nobeast ever had.

After a moment of staring at the body, Martin looked up again.

"This must be the remains of a tribe," he said aloud. The trance that had taken over Liam suddenly broke. "But such remains…"

Despite the presence of the skeleton on the floor, the atmosphere in the room itself was not one of ancient ruin; nothing was rusted over or showing signs of decay. Every surface was spotless. It was as if it had either been built the day before or frozen in time since it was made.

The two mice stepped forward, looking around in a mixture of astonishment and dread. With the exception of the boxes and the seats (although even the seats looked strange with the red fabric covering them), the mice recognised nothing around them. It was an understatement to say that this tribe had lived a very different lifestyle than anybeast in Mossflower.

Liam made his way over to the seats and sat down. "It's quite comfy?" he said, confused, as he readjusted his bandage. A thought suddenly came to him. "Martin?"

Martin was curious with the glass panels on the wall. He reached up and tapped one of the panels. Upon hearing his name, he replied "What?" though he didn't turn his head.

"I've just thought…" Liam began, "…where are the rest of the tribe?"

Martin turned around. "The rest of the tribe?" he asked, repeating Liam's words.

"Well it just seems odd that we've only found one of them," said Liam, glancing at the skeletal body. "This doesn't feel like a place a hermit would live."

"If there are others, they'll be around somewhere," said Martin. "I was thinking too, about what happened to this tribe. Maybe they have answers in those boxes?"


	3. III

They went together to the shelf of boxes, and without saying a word, they each lifted a box from the shelf and placed them on the floor. Martin looked in the box he had selected, while Liam looked in the other. When Liam opened his box, a smile came to his face.

Martin found a collection of what resembled large reels, but there were no threads spun around them. Instead, the reels contained a strange ribbon-like material of a dark colour. Martin lifted one of the reels from the box.

"What's that?" asked Liam.

"I have no idea," said Martin as he unravelled some of the ribbon. A strange smell rose from the box that made their noses sting a little. As Martin held the ribbon in his paws, he noticed he could faintly see his paws through it. Martin frowned and lifted the ribbon up toward the light from the ceiling, holding it above his head to see through. Martin's eyes widened.

"Look at this!" he gasped. "If you hold it up to the light, you can see these little pictures."

Martin passed the ribbon to Liam, and he too held it up toward the light. Indeed, he could make out little pictures on the ribbon. The pictures all seemed to be the same: a forest in daytime, with sunlight shining through the leaves and scatterings of flowers and pinecones on the forest floor.

Liam handed the ribbon back to Martin. "How could anybeast draw a picture over and over again like that on something like _that_? And it looks so lifelike."

"What did _you_ find?" asked Martin.

"Books," Liam replied. Liam stepped back to let Martin see inside the box. Martin stared at the two piles of books that greeted him. There must have been many there, for the books reached the lid of the box.

"At least we've found _something_ we recognise," said Martin. He took a couple out to get a closer look. But even these books confused the mice. "The cover reminds me of a small tapestry. Have you ever seen a book with covers like these?" Martin read the title of one of the books aloud. "_The Origin of Species_…"

"Isn't it odd," Liam commented, "that we can read the titles? I always assumed the beasts of ancient times spoke in languages that haven't been used in thousands of seasons."

"If we can read their writing, then we'd have understood what they were saying."

Martin looked at the other book he had picked up. It had a black cover and no title. Martin opened it to find the pages were blank and had been hollowed out. Placed in the hollow gap was a small rectangular-shaped object made of a clear solid that at first looked like glass, but turned out not to be judging from the tapping sound it made as Martin lifted it out. Inside this was more of the ribbon, but much smaller. Two holes were near the middle of it, with small reels in them.

"What is that?" asked Liam.

"It looks like…an envelope?" Martin guessed.

Liam frowned. "But you can see right through it, and there's no letter inside. And it's got two holes in it."

Martin thought for a moment. "Perhaps this letter is similar to those reels. There's ribbon inside this envelope, and the ribbon we looked at before had pictures on it. Perhaps in this tribe, the pictured ribbons are the equivalent of tapestries? And this smaller ribbon is their equivalent of letters?"

"Ah, I see," said Liam. "Are you going to open it?"

Martin looked at the 'envelope' in his paws and hesitated. "The ribbon inside looks fragile. If I damage it, I might as well tear it up and throw it on the fire." Martin placed the 'envelope' on the floor and began digging through the box of books. "I wonder if there are more of these…"

As Martin flicked through the books, Liam hobbled over to one of the metal desks that were against the walls. The blinking lights fascinated him and drew him closer. Liam noticed a small rectangular section of the desk jutting out with a slot on top. He looked back at Martin.

"Martin? I think I've found something."

Martin stood up, picking the 'envelope' up too, and he made his way over to Liam.

"I've found this slot," said Liam. "I think you could fit the envelope in there."

Martin held the 'envelope' up to the jut on the desk. It was a perfect fit.

"We could try seeing what happens," said Martin. "This might be the way to read it."

Carefully, Martin placed the 'envelope' into the slot. Martin knelt down, and upon realising the jut was actually a lid of sorts, closed it. The lid was also clear, and the 'envelope' was visible through it. There were a series of buttons underneath the lid, all with different shapes on them, mostly arrows.

"Perhaps I need to press one of these?" Martin pressed a button at random. Immediately, the reels began to rotate. A hissing sound crept into the room, though the mice didn't seem to notice.

"Can you see any writing yet?" Liam asked.

"Not yet. It's just spinning."

Before any other comment could be made, a disembodied voice suddenly spoke. "_If you're listening to this recording, then I am dead, and have been for many years._"

The mice froze.

The voice was male and sounded old. There was a solemn tone to it, like the speaker was suffering silently. The mice remained silent to hear what the voice had to say, not once interrupting.

"_I know this isn't the most…revolutionary format I've recorded this on, but I thought it would at least attract some attention so someone would listen. My name is Alex Fraser, Project identity number 01614. I'm sixty three years old at the time of speaking, and I'm from what was Amble, Northumberland. I'm not sure who is listening to me speak; it could very well be someone from another Utopiadome trying to re-track us, or it could be someone from the far future who stumbled in here accidentally. If the latter's the case, then the Utopia Project was a success, and…I'm so sorry about our actions that have led to the war going ahead. I swear, if I could travel back in time, I'd do anything to stop it from happening. Everyone would; at the end of the day, our enemies and we are the same. But you survived – our race has survived. God knows what happened to the animals though. They were left out._"

Martin and Liam shared a quick glance. Neither had any idea what the voice was talking about.

"_You're probably wondering why I've recorded this message_," the voice continued. "_I'm recording this just to assess the situation and to give my final thoughts. We lost contact with the other Utopiadomes early on in our stay in here. The intense radiation damaged our communications, and there's no chance of being able to repair them because that would mean going outside._"

"_To make matters worse, we had problems with our suspended animation pods. The idea of the Utopiadomes was that the first few years would be spent monitoring our progress. We were then to place ourselves in our suspended animation pods, which were programmed to open every hundred years to update our progress and to see if the radiation levels had reduced to a safer level, and then we'd put ourselves back in suspended animation for another hundred years if it was still unsafe. That may sound like a ridiculous amount of years, because of how long the fallout will take to settle, but we wanted to take the first opportunity we could to step outside again. We've been locked down in this thing for a good few years now, and we've only had some old library films to remind us what the outside looked like, or used to look like. But anyway, when we went to use them, we found out they had all broken down, except for one. We weren't sure why…but we tried everything to fix the remaining pods, but no matter what we tried, nothing worked. We drew straws for who got to be placed in suspended animation, and the winner was Stephen Davies, Project identity number 01611…huh, I said 'winner'. It's like a fight for survival._"

The speaker chuckled to himself, but there was no humour or emotion in his tone.

"_We modified the pod's settings when he went inside; it will remain sealed until someone manually shuts it off. The rest of the pods, we've used as coffins…_"

There was another pause. The voice coughed, and sounded like it was choking a little on its words.

"_I'm afraid of spending the last years of my life and dying locked away from outside with no family…I considered the others as family, but they've all passed away. We all went in here young – I was thirty – but that was years ago. I'm an old man now, and I'm the last one remaining, with the exception of Stephen. I'm worried that something similar may have happened with the other Utopiadomes. I'm so lonely; I feel like I'm going mad. The only voice I can hear is my own, and it's driving me insane. It's like a form of torture. I've recorded many a message on this cassette because I feel like it's the only thing I can talk to, but today I decided this was going to be my final message, and I wiped everything else. I'm afraid, but…I think I'm ready._"

"_I've got a couple of requests which I need _you_ to do._" Martin and Liam again shared a glance as the voice appeared to be addressing them. "_First, you'll need to bring Stephen out of suspended animation. You should find him easily. And second…please…don't mess it all up this time after we've had a second chance…That's all I've got to say…_"

The voice fell silent, leaving only the hissing sound remaining. After a few seconds, the hissing stopped. The message was over.

There was a moment of silence between the two mice. Martin was the first to speak.

"I didn't understand most of what he was saying. I've never heard some of those words. What was this Utopia Project? What are these pods? What was this war he was talking about?"

"He said something about his enemies being the same as him…" Liam said. "…So this war was fought amongst _themselves_? Not against vermin?"

"Strange. Shouldn't good beasts come together against the vermin hordes, not act like them?"

"He did sound regretful though," said Liam. "Did you notice how upset he sounded?"

Martin nodded. "I think we should look in the other rooms," he said, motioning to one of the doors.

The two mice headed to the nearest door and stood before it. An uneasy nervous feeling crept into the pit of their stomachs. What lay beyond?


	4. IV

Martin stepped up to the door and tried to find an opening. Liam noticed another button at the side of the door, and thought. He had pressed a button before, and a door had opened immediately. Perhaps that was the key to opening the doors.

Liam pressed the button, and sure enough the door opened. Martin jumped back in shock.

"It worked!" Liam said.

"What worked? What did you do?" Martin asked, his heart racing.

"I-I just pressed this," Liam replied, almost as if he was pleading innocence, and indicated the button. "I think that's how to open the doors in here."

"Try pressing it again," said Martin. Liam pressed the button again, and the door closed. "Yes, you're right," Martin said.

Liam pressed the button for a third time, and the door reopened. "At least we now know how to open the doors here."

The first thing they noticed as they stepped through the door was the strong moist smell that hit them like a brick wall. It reminded them of the smell a field makes after a heavy rainfall. The room was overgrown with plants which pressed against the ceiling. Branches and leaves had grown all around the room, tying each other in knots. The moisture in the room was immense, making the air as thick as soup and shrouding the other side of the room in a mist. This room also felt a lot warmer than the one they had stepped out of.

The two mice made their way slowly along a metal walkway with railings on each side, which lay across the middle of the room from the door to the opposite side. The metal was slippery, and the mice had a tight grip on the railings to avoid falling down. Liam lingered around the door, not wanting to go too far in, slip and hurt his leg more. Upon closer inspection, fruits were visible hanging from some of the plants, and some vegetables were sprouting from the ground.

"This must be where they get their food," said Martin.

"How could somebeast grow plants this large with no sunlight?" Liam pondered.

"I'm as puzzled as you are," Martin responded. Everything they found only seemed to give more questions than answers.

The two mice left the room of plants and opened the second door. Inside, they discovered a dimly-lit room with ten beds arranged in two rows of five. The bed sheets were neatly made, with the exception of a bed on the right hand side of the room, which looked as if somebeast had just risen out of it. At the back of the room was another door, but the two mice didn't notice, or ignored it.

Instead, they headed over to the final door in the main room. They opened it, and almost gasped at what greeted them.

This room contained ten of what appeared to be coffins, all of them closed. However, on closer inspection, these were more than that – they were made out of a very dark metal, and there were small pipes coming from them. What was even stranger was that each 'coffin' had a small panel built into their lids, almost like a small window.

"It's like a tomb," was all Martin could say.

"Do…you think there are more of those beasts in these?" Liam asked cautiously.

Martin approached the nearest 'coffin' and stretched his arms. "There's only one way to find out." Martin placed Liam's sword down and grabbed the lid of the 'coffin'. He tried to lift it up to open it, but it would not budge, no matter how much strength he put into it.

"I don't understand," said Martin as he scratched his head. "It's as if the lid has a heavy weight holding it down."

Martin looked through the small window on the 'coffin' lid. It was hard to see inside, but he could make out the shape of a skull, with the rest of its body continuing down and out of view. Martin headed over to another 'coffin' and looked through its window, and there was another skeleton inside.

"This is the answer to your question," said Martin. "The rest of the tribe are in here. This _is_ a tomb."

Liam moved his gaze around the room slowly, his eyes full of anxiety, as if he were standing face to face with the cruellest of vermin. He stopped and pointed as something caught his attention. "Look!"

He was pointing at a particular 'coffin' that stood near the back of the room. Unlike the others, a faint green light was shining out from the window of this particular 'coffin'. None of the other 'coffins' had a light shining from within.

Martin and Liam approached. Martin looked in through its window while Liam stood behind him.

"Can you see anything inside?"

"No…" Martin stood back. "There's some kind of smoke in it. It's too misty to see."

"Could I have a look?"

"Go ahead."

Liam approached the 'coffin' and peered in through its window. Martin stepped away, thinking. How long had the dome been hidden in the rocks for? What kind of creatures had these been when they were alive? The voice they had heard was repeating itself in Martin's head. A war. Remaining locked in the dome for the rest of their lives. Pods, all "broken down" except for one…

"I can hear something," said Liam, his right ear pressed against the side of the 'coffin'. "There's a strange sound coming from inside. It sounds like a heart beating."

Suddenly, it clicked together.

Martin spun round to face his companion. Liam had crouched down, having found a button on the side of the 'coffin'.

"Don't."

Liam turned to Martin. "What, Martin?"

"Don't press that." Martin's voice sounded a bit shaky. He stepped towards Liam. "Come on, we're leaving."

"But…but there's something in there…"

"We have to go, _now_," Martin urged, and he began to step back towards the door. Liam, unsure of what Martin was talking about, slowly stood back up and followed. The two mice left and stepped out of the dome and back into the cavern without speaking a word.

They continued into the long tunnel back up to the surface, still with the eerie silence lingering. Liam wanted to say something, but decided to hold it back until they stopped walking.

Eventually, they made it back to the cave they had initially stopped to rest in. The fire Martin had built had died out. The storm was continuing outside, but it had lessened its grip on the land considerably. It was also darker outside, indicating the sun was beginning to set.

Liam finally spoke. "What happened, Martin? What made you suddenly decide we had to go?" Liam was genuinely bewildered, and there was no hint of anger or irritation in his voice.

Martin placed both paws on Liam's shoulders. "Do you remember what that voice said? Do you remember when he talked about 'pods'? I worked it out; he was talking about those coffins – he had to be. And if you'd opened the one with the light coming out of it…you would have released a vile, evil creature of death."

Liam was taken aback. "A _what_? You mean there _was_ something alive in there? Was it one of _them_?"

Martin pressed slightly on Liam's shoulders. "Everything that voice told us makes sense now; there was a war – a huge war fought long ago between those beasts. A war so devastating that they were forced to lock themselves away in the dome. Those creatures were able to completely destroy their own kind. Whatever creature was in that pod or coffin, it was vermin – vermin far crueller than we've ever encountered. Ever since I went down there, I had a feeling in the back of my mind…a feeling that we weren't meant to find that place. Now that I understand what happened, I can see why."

"_Vermin_?" asked a stunned Liam. "But are you sure? That voice…whoever he was, he didn't sound happy about his kind's actions."

"That wasn't him in the pod!" Martin snapped.

Martin turned around and scowled. Liam was astonished; he had never seen Martin acting so _hysterical_.

"So…what you're saying is that the dome was all a trap into releasing this creature?"

Martin thought for a moment. "I don't know…perhaps unintentionally," he said, remaining calm. He turned back around to face Liam. "I think I may have over-reacted, and I'm sorry for shouting. But do you see where I am coming from? Not all of those creatures may have been vermin, but if they were capable of destroying their kind and their world, we cannot risk it if one of them is lying dormant in there. We don't know if its intentions are good or bad, and it would be safer for that to remain unanswered."

Liam nodded. "Perhaps it _was_ for the best, to leave them to history…I just feel sorry for the poor souls who got caught in their war."

Martin prepared another fire, and the two mice gazed outside. By now, it was even darker, and moonlight was shining down through the trees outside and onto the snow. Their swords were standing against the wall.

"If the storm continues to die down at this rate," said Martin, "we'll be able to press on in the morning."

"I'd do anything to hold Teyna in my arms again," said Liam.

"And I the same with my family," Martin added.

They were silent for a moment, letting the sound of the flame flicker around them. Liam suddenly turned to Martin. "Do you think we should tell the others?"

"The others?" asked Martin.

"Back at Saint Ninian's. Should we tell them about what we found? When they see what has happened to your sword, they'll ask questions."

"I…I don't know," said Martin. He had never thought about that. "Keeping this a secret would be a tremendous effort, but I don't want others to find this place for their own safety. Besides, I don't think we'll remember the way back here once we leave…I don't think they'd even believe us. Who would?"

"Do you think there are more of those domes around Mossflower?" Liam asked.

"Yes," said Martin. "The voice said something about other domes. Who knows where they are? Hidden in other caves? Across the sea? At the bottom of lakes? It's only a matter of time before somebeast finds one. And then it wouldn't be long until one of those creatures is released…"

They continued to stare out the cave. Liam wasn't sure whether it was Martin's words or the cold outside that sent a chill down his spine, but he hoped it was the latter.

Martin turned to Liam. "Do you remember when that voice gave us two tasks?" he asked. Liam nodded. "We may not have released his companion…but he also told us not to mess something up. I think he was referring to the world." Martin looked back outside. "He was warning us not to follow their example, otherwise we'd suffer dire consequences like them. His second task is something we should carry out. We'll keep Mossflower safe from vermin threats…all of us. It's what anybeast would ask for."

The two mice lay down on the floor of the cave, resting their heads against the wall with the fire between them. It was going to be an uncomfortable night, but they were just grateful to be out of the snow.

* * *

**Just in case you weren't sure, the Martin featured in this fanfic is not Martin the Warrior, but rather Martin the Elder (Martin the Warrior's grandfather on his father's side). Liam was an original character, and I made up the wives' names, and the two names of the 'creatures' (any resemblance to anyone is coincidental – I just picked the first names that came into my head for 'those'). Amble however is a real place; it's on the Northumberland coast. The cave and cliff face in this fanfic were inspired by Malham Cove.**

**Speaking of names, I also need to thank the Redwall Wiki group for answering my question on the name of Luke's mother (it turns out her name is never mentioned) so I've given her a name here (Vina). So thanks again.**


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